The Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This banana cake recipe is everything you want in this classic dessert: moist, loaded with flavor and topped with an irresistible cream cheese frosting. Plus, I’m sharing my secrets for achieving an insanely moist banana cake that can be baked as a layer cake or a convenient sheet cake.

I always hesitate to name a recipe “The Best.” It makes you wonder where you go next once “The Best” is achieved.

And the answer is nowhere. You go nowhere.

You bake this cake. You sit down. You eat this cake. And then you never search for another banana cake recipe for the rest of your life. Deal?

This banana cake is one of those recipes I grew up on, never really knowing where the mysterious notecard splattered with cake batter and vanilla extract—the pre-online indication of a well-loved recipe—came from.

But thanks to the interwebs, it’s been digitized, and in return, it’s floated from recipe site to food blog, magazine to cookbook. And now it’s landed here.

Banana cake can often get a bad rap for being secondary to its carrot cake counterpart. But there’s room for veggie-packed and fruit-filled cakes at our table.

This cake is a great way to make use of overripe bananas, but if your bananas aren’t looking as speckled (read: sweet!) as you’d hope, check out my simple trick for how to ripen bananas in less than 15 minutes!

• Bananas: Overripe bananas with lots of dark brown spots work best for maximum sweetness and flavor. You’ll need 1 and ½ cups mashed ripe bananas or about 3 to 4 medium bananas.
• Lemon juice: Prevents the bananas from browning.
• All-purpose flour: Use the spoon and level method for a light and tender crumb. 
• Baking soda: Helps the cake rise. Make sure your baking soda is fresh for the best results; expired baking soda won’t give the same lift.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors without making it taste salty. 
• Butter: Adds richness and moisture. Bring the butter to room temp for easy creaming with the sugar, which helps create a light and fluffy texture. If you’re short on time, cut the butter into small cubes to speed up the softening process.
• Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps with moisture retention.
• Eggs: Bind all the ingredients together. Use large eggs at room temp for the best incorporation into the batter. 
• Vanilla extract: Adds depth and enhances the sweetness.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture, keeps the cake tender and adds a touch of tang. If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t worry! I have a whole post on buttermilk substitutions. Regular milk won’t work in this recipe because it lacks the acidity needed to react with the baking soda, which helps the cake rise and stay fluffy.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Let’s walk through how to make banana bread from scratch:

1. Start by mashing the bananas in a small bowl and combining them with the lemon juice. I find using a fork is the easiest and best way to mash bananas; a potato masher or even a hand mixer works, too. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. Next, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. I use my stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, but a hand mixer works just as well. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla. 
5. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, to the batter. Be careful not to overmix! You want the ingredients to be combined, but a few lumps are fine. 

6. Finally, fold in the mashed banana mixture. Folding rather than stirring helps maintain the batter’s lightness. If you’re adding nuts, this is the time to fold them in.
7. Divide the batter evenly between two round 9-by-2-inch cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake the cakes for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
8. As soon as you remove the cakes from the oven, transfer them to the freezer for 45 minutes to cool. You’ll put the whole pan, with the freshly baked banana cake, in the freezer. I usually place the pans on baking sheets before sticking them in the freezer.

A thick layer of silky smooth cream cheese frosting is my go-to for this homemade banana cake. Its tangy flavor perfectly complements the moist, sweet banana layers, making every bite an irresistible treat.

If you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting or just want to try something different, buttercream frosting is a great alternative. You could even go for a chocolate buttercream or a coffee buttercream for a decadent twist!

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions

This moist and fluffy banana cake is perfect for making in advance. Here’s how to do it:

Make Ahead: Once they’ve cooled completely, wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. This keeps the cake fresh and moist, ready for frosting whenever you are.

Freezing: Want to prep even further in advance? This cake freezes beautifully! For maximum freshness, wrap each layer in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil and store in a freezer-safe storage bag. You can freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 3 months. 

Thawing: When you’re ready to use the frozen cake, transfer the layers to the fridge to thaw overnight. Once thawed, bring them to room temp before frosting.

Frosting: For best results, make the cream cheese frosting fresh. However, if you’re short on time, you can also make the frosting ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just give it a quick whip before using it to restore its creamy texture.

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